Glossary of Terms

Approximately 2% of Burmese people are Hindu. Burmese Hindus are a mix of Bengalis, Tamils, Telegus, and Uttar Pradeshis who arrived in Burma under British colonialism. With the military coup of 1962, about 1 million Indians were forced out of Burma, but some remained, mostly in Yangon (Rangoon), Mandalay, and in the Bago District. As India is a close neighbor, Hinduism has had a regional influence for centuries and Hindu gods are sometimes included among the nats, or spirits, worshiped by some Burmese Buddhists. Due to historical ties between Hinduism and Buddhism, Hindus have faced far...